Newark rezones land for housing in one of East Bay's many transit-oriented developments

By Chris De Benedetti, The Argus

Posted:
11/11/2012 12:00:00 AM PST

Updated:
11/11/2012 04:46:45 AM PST

Encouraged by a slowly improving economy and the progress that neighboring cities have shown on similar projects, the Newark City Council joined a re-emerging trend of transit-oriented developments by voting Thursday to rezone a parcel for the construction of 553 residences near a proposed train station.

Once built, the Newark project would be the first phase of the Dumbarton Transit-Oriented Development, a 205-acre project offering office space, retail, public parks and as many as 2,500 housing units on the city's western edge. It would be constructed near a station for Dumbarton Rail, a proposed regional transit system that would link Capitol Corridor, ACE, BART and Caltrain service, and carry riders from Alameda County to the Peninsula via a new rail bridge over the southern part of San Francisco Bay.

Newark's ambitious proposal is but one of several East Bay developments in various stages of progress that aim to build higher-density housing near a transit hub.

The planned mixed-use projects -- in the works in cities ranging from Fremont to Walnut Creek to Oakland and parts in between -- illustrate how the region's percolating economy is prompting developers to dip their toes back in the housing waters.

"That developers are interested in doing this, it's an indication of the upsurge in the economy," said Terrence Grindall, Newark's community development director. "We're hopeful it creates momentum of people investing and building in our area."

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Momentum already has begun in Union City, where construction is under way on the BART Intermodal Station that will be the hub for Dumbarton Rail.

Last week, city leaders celebrated the completion of a 157-unit apartment building and a plaza next to the station that includes a fountain and public art. Officials there envision the mixed-use, 105-acre project as a transit hub with housing, shops and office space that will serve multiple rail and bus lines. They hope one day to have 1,925 units and nearly 2,600 jobs within a quarter-mile of the station

Fremont's plans are not nearly as far along but are no less bold. City leaders are eyeing similar housing-retail projects in several areas, including a 110-acre downtown parcel near Fremont BART and the 850 acres surrounding the proposed Warm Springs BART station on the city's southern edge.

Jeff Schwob, Fremont's community development director, said the state's Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008, also known as SB375, is driving the projects' progress throughout the region. "The law says we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and the best way to do that is through land-use planning to reduce the miles our vehicles travel," Schwob said.

By planning housing and stores around transit options, the cities keep vehicles off the road, reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality.

"Each city has to come up with ways to make a dent in the overall picture," he said. "Everyone's doing their slice of the pie to reduce emissions."

If a city doesn't follow SB375's land-use guidelines, then the state can punish it, Grindall said. "The city's housing element in its general plan won't be certified, and then the city can't approve any new development, and it becomes ineligible for almost all state grants," he said.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the region's planning agencies for development and transit, long have been encouraging cities to construct these kinds of projects, Grindall said.

"ABAG said if cities in suburban areas want to have public transit, those cities should have development around it," he said. "A lot of different objectives have flowed together."

Similar East Bay transit developments include the area near the south Hayward BART station. Eden Housing, a nonprofit, aims to build 151 affordable-housing rental units. About 210 market-rate condominiums are being built by a private organization, JMJ Development, said Kelly McAdoo, Hayward's assistant city manager.

Near Lafayette BART, a transit village offering 72 condominiums next to existing shops and apartments is being considered, and the Walnut Creek City Council voted last month to move a BART Transit Village apartment-and-retail project toward its next phase.

Construction also has started at a similar project at Oakland's MacArthur BART station, said Luna Salaver, a BART spokeswoman.

"In the 1940s, '50s and '60s, it was all about sprawl," she said. "But today's it's all about living closer to transportation hubs and improving our quality of life in the Bay Area."

Staff writer Rebecca Parr contributed to this report. Contact Chris De Benedetti at 510-353-7011. Follow him at Twitter.com/cdebenedetti.